The city has been enhanced by Roman emperors and popes over 2000 years. Walking through the Forums and entering palaces and churches of all eras is like reading the great history of art and architecture, an unforgettable experience.
Piazza Navona is one of the most evocative places in Rome. The square takes its name from the term ‘Agone’, which in Greek means ‘competition, battle’, used to indicate public sporting events. In ancient Roman times, around 86 AD, the square was the Stadium of...
The charming Tiber Island, in the heart of Rome, one of the smallest inhabited islands in the world, is connected to the two banks of the Tiber River by Ponte Cestio and Ponte Fabricio.. The curious ship-shaped Island hosts the two ancient hospitals “Fatebenefratelli”...
Welcome to Rome upside down, three sites to discover among labyrinths, quarries, caves and underground lakes on the Caelian Hill in Monteverde and under the Appia Antica Park. Let us wear trekking helmet and shoes and immerse ourselves in the belly of the Eternal...
A UNESCO World Heritage site in Rome, the Vatican Museums represent the first museum in history to be opened to the public. In 1506, after the discovery of the Laocoön sculpture group, Julius II decided to allow access to a part of the papal collections. This gave...
Today a destination for outings and a place particularly loved by film and advertising scriptwriters, Monte Gelato is one of the most significant and evocative historical sites in the Treja Valley. The river flows through the trees forming small natural cascades which...
From being a hidden treasure, the incredible heritage of luxurious Roman residences built between the second and fourth centuries AD beneath Palazzo Valentini in Rome has become a multimedia museum to be discovered by visitors. Very close to Trajan's Column, it...
According to ecclesiastical tradition, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, in addition to being the bishopric of Rome, is also by far the oldest church in the world. It was the first large Christian basilica, built in the fourth century AD by Emperor Constantine, who...
The Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, an invaluable testimony to Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic art, is one of the four major basilicas in Rome, the second largest after St. Peter's, with a papal altar and a Holy Door. At the beginning of the fourth century,...
It is one of the major basilicas in Rome along with St. Peter’s, Saint John Lateran and St. Paul Outside-the-Walls. In these four churches, during the Jubilee years, the Holy Doors, which are always on the right of the main portals, are opened; to obtain indulgences...
At the foot of the hill of Monte Antenne, in the Parioli district, in an extensive area of parkland mostly given over to sport, with gyms and pitches, stands the Mosque of Rome, the religious and cultural reference point for the Roman Islamic Community. Inaugurated on...
According to ancient sources, Ostia Antica, was founded by King Ancus Marcius in the second half of the seventh century BC, but subsequent research carried out, however, dates the oldest part to a later period. The oldest nucleus that we know of the city of Ostia...
The horizon to the south of Rome is closed by the Castelli Romani, green volcanic hills with lakes and woods, villas and abbeys, vineyards and excellent food, a privileged destination since the times of Ancient Rome for relaxation just outside the Eternal City. An...
In the near vicinity of Ponte Cavour, the Ara Pacis is a precious display case; and at Tor Tre Teste, the three white “sails” of a church play with the sky: in the heart of Rome and on the edge of the city as well, the great architect Richard Meier has left his mark....
Surprisingly, just beyond the “great beauty” of Rome, there is a heritage to be discovered. Dwellings that nobles and prelates used for defence or to restore spirit and body in the tranquillity of the Roman countryside, by the sea, or the lake, or in the hills. Among...
The current appearance of Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome is the result of numerous interventions on the structure that was originally an imperial tomb. In the second century AD, the emperor Hadrian, a lover of oriental culture, decided to build a mausoleum for himself and...
The park of Villa Borghese extends over the area once occupied by the gardens of Lucullus in the Roman period. The Borghese family became owners of the land in 1580. A few years later the pavilion designed to house the family's significant art collection was built by...
Everyone knows that the imagination of the artists who worked in Rome by far exceeded an already astonishing reality. Stone animals live in the city's palaces and churches, making for an unusual itinerary that is captivating even for children. Let's begin with cats,...
The Roma Convention Centre – La Nuvola, in the city's EUR quarter, is also known as “La Nuvola di Fuksas”, or Fuksas's Cloud. According to Duccio Astaldi, president of the Consiglio di Gestione di Condotte, 20,000 tons of steel were required to built the...
![Casina delle Civette [House of Owls]](https://www.visitlazio.com/app/uploads/2022/06/Casina-delle-Civette-villa-Torlonia-2000x550-1-1080x550.jpg)
The Casina delle Civette [House of the Owls] is in the Villa Torlonia Park in Rome. The Capanna Svizzera [Swiss cabin] was the first dwelling house of the complex, designed in 1840 by Giuseppe Jappelli at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia, with two buildings...
The project for this museum of contemporary art and architecture was a challenging one. Construction began in 2000 and continued for over ten years, but the idea to create such a museum is actually more remote. The international competition for the design of the...
Although the inscription that welcomes visitors attributes the construction of the Pantheon to Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law of the emperor Augustus, the version of the temple that we admire today was built under the reign of Hadrian circa 150 years later. The previous...
King Victor Emanuel II granted Roman citizenship to the Jewish population shortly after the unification of Italy and allowed them to built a large Synagogue. The Jewish community of Rome developed before the diaspora and is therefore the oldest in Europe. It was the...
Situated along the Appian Way, the ancient and impressive Catacombs of St. Callixtus occupy an area equal to about 15 hectares and have nearly 20 kilometres of galleries on several levels. The catacombs were realized in the early 3rd century AD in the area between the...
Some forty buildings in the residential quarter of Trieste-Salario in Rome stand out for their bizarre and elegant architecture. Concentrated around Piazza Mincio, they create a sort of oasis of style. This is the Coppedé quarter, from the name of the architect who...